


Two Down

by poorly_animated



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Canonical Character Death, During Canon, Gen, Heavy Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28152183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poorly_animated/pseuds/poorly_animated
Summary: The Troupe finds Shalnark and Kortopi.
Relationships: Feitan/Phinks (Hunter X Hunter), Feitan/Phinks/Shalnark (Hunter x Hunter)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	Two Down

**Author's Note:**

> I cried while writing this

The swings creaked quietly in the hot breeze. A crow cawed hungrily. Below the dark sky, seven spiders were spread across the playground in silence.

“We have to move him,” Nobunaga said quietly. 

Phinks shook his head. “Not until Chrollo sees. He needs to know what that bastard did.” 

“He fucking knows, man, he already killed that motherfucker!”

“He didn’t fucking stay dead, though, did he?” Phinks couldn’t bring himself to look at his friend. His eyes were glued to the swing set, to the ropes knotted at Shalnark’s wrists and the blood still dripping from his chest. Nobu’s sword sliced through the air and brought down another lurking scavenger. “I just... I just can’t, Nobu,” he croaked. 

Nobunaga sighed as he wiped the blood from his sword. “I know, Phinks. And we still haven’t heard from Machi.” 

“I’m going to the arena,” Shizuku announced, “I’ll look for her there.” Nobunaga nodded and then grabbed her wrist. 

“Not alone. I’ll come with you,” he said gruffly.

“I can go,” Franklin sighed. He patted Shizuku’s head fondly and started out of the playground, trying not to look at Kortopi’s headless body. Shizuku hummed thoughtlessly as she trailed behind him. 

Phinks sank to his knees, still staring at Shal’s blood-soaked body. “I just don’t understand,” he whispered, “I thought he was only after Chrollo. Why would he kill Shal? And Kortopi, fuck, why the fuck did he do this?” 

“Powers,” Feitan said quietly. It was the first time he’d spoken since they all heard Phinks scream and came to see what he’d found. He stepped closer to the enhancer and gently touched his shoulder. “Chrollo use Shal and Kortopi powers in fight, Shal told me. Hisoka can’t kill Chrollo unless he kills spider first,” he murmured.

“Fuck,” Phinks croaked. He started to say something more but it just came out as a choked sob, a desperate, horrible noise accompanied by his shoulders curling down closer to the earth. “F-Fuck,” he said again, “fuck, and Shal—oh, god, he didn’t even have his phone, did he?”

Feitan shook his head and stroked his partner’s back. His stomach turned as he looked at Shalnark’s intestines drooping out of his abdomen, the tissues torn and nearly unrecognizable from the birds who had beaten them there. Is this what it felt like when he left bodies as warning signs? He swallowed hard. “Is okay, Phinks, we get him for this,” he whispered. 

“Damn fucking right we will,” Nobunaga interjected. His voice wavered slightly and he sat down, fiddling with the hem of his robe. “I can’t believe I let him come alone,” he whispered sadly.

“You didn’t,” Feitan sighed, “Kortopi here, too.”

“Yeah, fat lot of good that did,” the older man grunted. He sniffed and wiped his face roughly. “I just... it... he should’ve been okay,” he mumbled.

“We could not know Hisoka not die,” Feitan said firmly. He crouched next to Phinks and wrapped his arms around his partner’s trembling frame. “And could not know this happen.”

Phinks groaned and held his head in his hands, trying to keep from crying again. “He didn’t—he—we should’ve been here,” he sobbed, “I, I knew they were taking too long, and I didn’t—I didn’t think—we just kept drinking, we, were laughing,  celebrating,  FUCK, and Shal—Shal was dead!” The tears rolled through his hands as he broke down, collapsing face-first into the bloodstained dirt beneath the swing set. Metal creaked ominously above him. “And Kortopi’s just, he’s just a kid,” he wailed, “they should—this can’t be happening right now!” 

Feitan’s mouth quivered as he tried to hold Phinks tighter. “Baichi, nothing we could do,” he rasped. He buried his face in the blonde’s shoulder but was shoved away.

“FUCK YOU, FEITAN,” Phinks screamed, “FUCK YOU, I WAS GONNA GO WITH HIM AND YOU DISTRACTED ME, AND NOW HE’S FUCKING DEAD, HE’S DEAD, AND YOU’RE NOT EVEN FUCKING SAD, YOU BASTARD! EVERY TIME YOU SAID YOU LOVED HIM, WERE YOU JUST LYING?”

Nobunaga jumped up and stumbled backwards, choking back a sob as he watched the other enhancer’s aura flare. “Phinks, c’mon,” he moaned, “you’re not—“

“FUCK OFF, NOBU,” Phinks shrieked. “FEI, ANSWER ME! WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Feitan trembled and curled his body entirely into his cloak. He wasn’t sure he knew how to cry anymore—it had been what seemed like decades since he last remembered breaking down. He shook his head anxiously. “I love him,” he said sadly, “not—not fair, Phinks, I love him, too.” 

“DO YOU?! IT DOESN’T FUCKING SEEM LIKE IT!” 

“Phinks, you have to calm down,” Nobunaga shouted. “You’re being a fucking asshole!”

“OUR BOYFRIEND IS BEING EATEN BY CROWS AND THIS FUCKER CAN’T SHED A SINGLE TEAR,” Phinks screamed, “GOOD TO KNOW, HUH? I GUESS WHEN HISOKA KILLS ME, I KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOU, HUH FEI?” 

“Phinks,” Feitan gasped, “s-stop, please stop.” 

“FUCK YOU! AND FUCK YOU, NOBU, FUCK ALL OF YOU! FUCK THIS! FUCK, FUCK, I CAN’T TAKE THIS!” Phinks leapt up and ran towards the bathroom, slamming his fist into the bricks over and over until they shattered and caved, but he couldn’t make himself stop, he just hit harder, hitting and screaming and sobbing until he was sure his fingers were broken and the wall collapsed in on itself. The roof groaned and slanted towards him. “FUCK,” he screamed again.

“I—I no know how,” Feitan whispered. He looked up at Nobunaga, eyes ringed with red, and just opened his mouth uselessly. He shook his head. “Nobunaga, I not—I not know how,” he repeated.

Nobunaga sighed and sat back down. “I know, Fei, he’s just—he’s just freaking out, is all.” He awkwardly wrapped his arms around the small transmuter and pulled him close. “God, you’re weird to hug,” he chuckled through his tears, “it’s like trying to hold a knife.” 

“I love S-Shal,” Feitan gasped, mostly to himself. He looked over at the body that had been his lover again and buried his face in Nobunaga’s chest. “We, we love him,” he mumbled. His voice had shrunk to almost nothing as his throat tightened around the words. He shook his head, unable to close his eyes. “We love him,” he repeated.

“I—fuck, I love—I, I loved, the kid, so much,” Nobu choked. He tried to say more but broke down again, sobbing as he held Feitan tightly. “I can’t—I can’t keep looking at him, we have to take him down,” he sobbed. 

Phinks crumpled to the ground and picked up a shard of brick, slamming it into his forehead. “He’s dead,” he groaned, “Shal’s fucking dead, and Kortopi’s dead, and we’re—we’re all so focused on Shal, fuck, and—I can’t do this.” He covered his face and screamed into his hands, digging his nails into the fresh wound above his eyes. “THEY’RE FUCKING DEAD!” 

Bonolenov coughed lightly as he swallowed his own emotions. “Can I remove Kortopi?” He asked quietly. He’d been sitting cross-legged near the small body the whole time, silently staring at his curled hands. “I want—I need to bury him,” he whispered sadly. 

“Not until Chrollo,” Phinks growled. 

Nobunaga wiped his face and glared at him. “Phinks, c’mon, man, we can’t just keep sitting here with—“

“We will,” Phinks grunted. He chucked his piece of brick at the sagging roof. “We just will.” 

Feitan curled into his cloak and tried to find something to say, anything that might make Phinks understand the pain eating at his chest and the sorrow swirling in his mind. He shook his head and hugged his knees tighter. A soft hum enveloped him as his aura pulsed, the pain packer suit wrapping around his body as he lifted off the ground and sucked the energy from the air. Nobunaga cursed and scrambled away from him. Phinks glanced over and yelped in shock. 

“FEI!”

The blonde ran towards his partner and tackled him, hugging him tightly until the conjured suit melted away and Feitan was just screaming in his arms, not exactly crying but no longer silent, just howling wordlessly into his chest. His claws dug into Phinks’ shoulders until he was bleeding through his tracksuit. Phinks just squeezed him tighter.

“I’m, I’m so sorry,” the enhancer sobbed, “Fei, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please forgive me, please, Feitan, you’re all I have, I’m so sorry, I, I love you, Feitan, I love you so much, please forgive me, please.” 

Feitan’s voice faded away and he went limp, finally closing his eyes. “I know,” he managed to whisper, “baichi, I know.”

“Okay,” Phinks mumbled through his tears. He craned his neck as he heard footsteps crunch behind them. 

Chrollo stood at the entrance of the playground, his hands trembling around Shalnark’s phone. He opened and closed his mouth silently. The phone clattered to the sidewalk and he stumbled forwards, hardly believing his eyes. Bonolenov shifted slightly to show him Kortopi’s body and Chrollo gagged, collapsing onto his knees as he cradled the small figure in his arms. He shook his head wordlessly and turned to look at the swing set again. Tears formed in his eyes and streamed down his face as he stood, clutching Kortopi’s corpse in his trembling arms, and staggered towards the other body. Nobody spoke. 

Finally, Nobunaga swallowed and stood up, brushing himself off. “Chrollo—“

“Find him,” Chrollo rasped, “we are going to find him, and we’re going to kill him, properly this time. I will not let this happen again.” 

Nobunaga nodded and stepped a bit closer. “Yeah. Um... Can we—“

“Has everyone seen? Where—“ Chrollo turned around shakily, still holding Kortopi close to his chest. “Where are Franklin and Shizuku? Kall’s at the house, but—Machi, where’s Machi? Oh, oh god,” he croaked, “he—the bastard hired Machi, what if—“

“We got her,” Shizuku chirped from the sidewalk. Franklin stood behind her, holding an exhausted Machi in his arms. Her pink hair fell over his biceps as she slowly rolled her head.

“No,” Machi moaned. She turned back to bury her face in Franklin’s chest again. “No, no,” she sobbed, “and I—I helped him.”

“Not really,” Shizuku said gently, “you said he mostly patched himself up, right?” She patted the transmuter’s leg and sighed as it jerked away from her touch. She turned back to address the others. “She was encased in Bungee Gum, I had Blinky suck it up. Sounds like Hisoka used it to restart his heart somehow.”

Chrollo cursed under his breath and stood up. “Of course,” he murmured, “I should’ve anticipated it wouldn’t be so easy.” He glanced at the swing set again and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Nobu, please—we need to bury them.” 

Nobunaga nodded. A quick swish and the swing fell to the ground, Shalnark’s body collapsing backwards with a loud, wet thud. He shuddered and choked back more tears. “I—I’ll carry him,” he whispered, “I’d like to carry him, if you don’t mind.” He turned to Phinks and Feitan. The pair just nodded and buried their faces in each other again. “Fuck,” Nobu sighed. He looked down at Shal and swallowed hard. “Say hi to him for me, kid,” he whispered. 

Phinks closed his eyes as he listened to Nobu grunt and lift Shal from the ground. He squeezed Feitan tightly and slowly sat up, still clutching him as close as he could. “I—I love you,” he whispered into his black hair, “I love you, Fei, please don’t—“

“I won’t,” Feitan mumbled back. He sighed heavily and tried to extract himself. “Baichi, you need to let go,” he said gently, “I can walk.” 

“Okay,” Phinks croaked. He kissed the top of his head and loosened his grasp, letting Feitan slide to his knees in the dirt. “I—I need a minute.” 

Chrollo nodded and started towards the gate. He glanced at the body in his arms and shuddered. “Someone needs to take the head,” he said quietly. 

Bonolenov raised his hand silently and drifted over to the ruined swing set. He reached down and lifted Kortopi’s head slowly, trembling as the hair fell away and revealed the shock frozen on the young spider’s face. He cradled it delicately and turned around. “We should go.” 

“I’m—I’m trying,” Phinks said lamely. He pushed himself up but made the mistake of looking at Nobunaga. The older man was gazing at Shal’s ruined face, no longer trying to hold back his tears. They splattered across the dead blonde’s bloody, lifeless visage as he cried silently. “He’s really gone,” Phinks mumbled to himself, “Shal’s really... he’s really dead.”

Feitan clutched his arm and pressed closer to him. “Yes,” he whispered. 

“Okay,” Phinks grunted. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “Anyone else need a smoke?” 

Chrollo, Franklin, and Nobunaga all clumsily waved a hand. Phinks sighed and walked around, carefully lighting cigarettes for each of them across the bodies they were holding. He turned back to Feitan. The smaller man nodded and accepted one as well. Phinks crushed him in a hug before lighting it, still shaking as he stared at the drying blood on the ground. 

“We’re going to kill him,” Chrollo said quietly, “but first, we need to mourn our own.” 

The remaining spiders nodded and trailed after him, sticking close to each other as they headed for the house they’d broken into. Machi started sobbing halfway there and Franklin held her tighter. The big man’s lips quivered and he swallowed his tears, glancing down at Shizuku gratefully when she patted his arms. He lay Machi down on a couch and brought her some water, sinking to the floor beside her with a heavy sigh. 

“Chrollo,” the emitter said in a low voice, “when you’re ready, just tell us what we need to do. Where we need to go. We’re doing it. Anything. He’s fucking dead.”


End file.
